Love and Respect
by Like a Ninja
Summary: Ebony was just a shell before Mab's slip of a tongue that allowed her freedom from the Unseelie Court. She took advantage of the mistake and left. She is no longer Ebonia of the Winter Court. She is Ira of whatever she wants. Or whatever she is forced into which just might be the Iron Court. Mid-Iron Knight
1. Prologue

******— The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles —**  


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**Mkay. Well, Aurelia's gone now. She was too OOC. The main character is once again Ira cept with her different haircut and eyes. Thank you Queen of Air and Darkness~ (Can I call you Mab? xD)**

**If I had a publisher, they'd probably smack me with all the times I change up my story. In the first chapter. :)**

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**Only Disclaimer For This Story: I don't own the Iron Fey Series... All rights belong to Julie Kagawa... (That was almost painful to say. Almost.)**

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_=:- Love and Respect -:=_

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_The girl's olive-toned forearm whipped up to in front of her face and was quickly followed by a thick wall of ice. The approaching dagger dug harmlessly into the shield, causing a thin spiderweb of cracks to crawl away from the impact point. The girl's arm slowly lowered back down to her side as she scanned her surroundings for any more projectiles. When she determined it was safe, she allowed herself a small, triumphant grin that made her yellow eyes turn a honey gold until another dagger suddenly came hurtling towards her. The girl reacted quickly, dropping down onto the snow-covered floor and rolling to the side, but the dagger was faster, slicing into the side of her flat stomach. Her eyes widened a fraction, and a small gasp of pain escaped from her frosty lips._

_"Too slow," the instructor barked, a nasty sneer on the Winter faerie's sharp face._

_She wanted to protest that the second dagger wasn't fair since it was fired after the attack, but she kept her mouth shut, nodded stiffly, and stared vacantly at the steadily growing amount of red snow with her hand pressed firmly against the cut on her side._

_After all, in this world, nothing is fair._

_Especially for fey like her._

_All she can do, is keep her lips glued together, nod, and pretend she doesn't feel the pain._

* * *

_The small girl sat on the __gnarled __tree branch with her thin arms wrapped around her pulled-up knees, dark hair falling delicately around her shoulders. Her eyes were closed, but her pointed ears were listening to the jovial cries of the faerie children that were playing at the foot of the large tree. __The blank expression on her face made it look as if she were sleeping. Though if you looked closer, you'd see her arms tighten with longing, squeezing her legs together almost painfully._

_After all, nobody wants to be friends with a fey like her._

_She is alone in this world._

* * *

_Her three brothers stood away from her, a gaping emptiness between them. They talked quietly among themselves— too quiet for her to hear. She stood where she was, awkwardly wringing her hands and shifting her weight from one foot to another every ten seconds while her eyes trailed indifferently around the room._

_Then, the sound of clicking heels echoed into the room from the hallway._

_The girl's brothers immediately ceased their hushed conversation, turning towards the entrance that was connected to the hallway. They clasped their hands behind their backs, straightened their spines, and lifted their chins, their personalities eons older than their real ages. The girl directed her body to the same direction though she merely dangled her arms by her sides, keeping her head low._

_The clicking got louder until a woman with a figure most woman would die for, entered the room. Her lips curled into a smile as she stared at her sons with adoration._

_"My boys," she purred, pride in her eyes._

_She then motioned for them to follow her, and her white, kitten heels clacked themselves over to her throne. Her mother sat down elegantly, her white gown falling gently around her sitting form. The boys strode forward and set themselves in front of their mother to muse about tomorrow's event while the girl stood where she was, completely ignored._

_Not even her family wants to be associated with a fey like her._

_She is truly alone with no one to care for her._

_She must care for herself._

* * *

_The girl was being jostled by a group of humans whom intercepted her on her self-given task of finding mortal food. They slammed their shoulders into hers, causing her small frame to stumble. They jeered at her and made crude comments._

_She let herself be pushed around. If you weren't watching closely, you'd just see an emotionless girl being viciously bounced from person to person. If you looked a bit further, you'd see the barely discernible hardening of her jaw, the minuscule tightening near the corners of her eyes, and her twitching fingers that ached to curl themselves into fists and fly into the faces of her tormentors._

_She resisted the urge and kept her stoic facade up._

_Not even the other race wants to be with her._

_She is alone even in the other world._

* * *

You're worthless. You're a mistake. You shouldn't exist.

_The words streamed through the girl's mind as she lay on her bed. Her expression stayed neutral even though her mind was screaming in agony— the only thing her mind did other than replay her worst thoughts and fears. _

_Though despite being alone, she wouldn't let emotions show._

_But today, her lip quivered._

_Because even she is not made of stone._

* * *

I watched as she looked lovingly over the three, erect-standing boys. Then her sight drifted past them, and her depthless black eyes latched onto my fidgeting figure. Immediately, they turned from being filled with adoration and pride, to a mixture of disgust and hate. I blinked blankly at her before averting my own gaze to avoid any conflict. Eventually, after enough dark glowering at my head, I took the hint and my feet took me over to a different area in the room.

Glancing around with empty eyes, I looked for a distraction, knowing all too well that I would not find a suitable one_— _one that would put the light back in me. I watched as the members of the Unseelie Court noisily poured into the throne room while Queen Mab sat elegantly on her ice-capped throne. Her black nails tapped her armrest impatiently, a dangerous sign. Sage, Rowan, and Ash, had removed themselves from their position of in front of Mab and were now situated across from me on the opposite wall.

Sage was sitting on the ground, deep in thought while absentmindedly petting his calm, grey wolf pup. Rowan was sneering at me and mouthing rude comments that are also aimed toward me, both of which I easily ignored. Ash was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.

I dully noted their appearances, comparing them to my own for the umpteenth time.

They all had dark hair like Lady Mab. I had dark hair also, yet mine turned a wiry copper in the sunlight while their's merely shined. They had straight and strong noses that appealed to their masculine appearances while mine was small and pert that also added to my slight, feminine figure. They all had different colored eyes. Prince Sage had calculating, light green eyes. Prince Rowan had cruel, pale blue eyes. Prince Ash had steely, grey eyes. I had golden eyes that were usually more of a squash-yellow without any fire inside of me. That fire had long since disappeared without a hint of whether it would ever come back.

Why was I comparing myself to the perfect princes of the Unseelie Court? Why do I dare to even think of them?

Easy.

I'm their half-sister. Not that they acknowledge the fact.

I'm a mistake, as I have been told a million times. My father was a human that had lured Lady Mab's attention because of his bright imagination and fearless bravado. Of course, he was attracted to her also. Then, I was born. He loved me very much. Though, my father had a weak heart that threatened to just stop beating in many different situations. When he realized that she was a faery queen, it gave out on him.

This story has been told to me by my mother herself. She had kept up an emotionless facade the whole while, even seeming a bit bored while I had been trembling with sorrow. My life from then on, was just dull. Everything seemed unimportant once I realized that the one person who truly cherished me, was dead without a chance for me to recognize the love. Now, I am just a shell.

The empty, mistake, half-breed princess of the Unseelie Court.

I ended the thoughts that have run through my mind most of my life since that moment, and slowly brought my attention back to the current occasion.

The fey had finished gathering in the throne room as Mab's nails have also finally ceased their rhythmic tapping. The whole room was silent with respect, and everyone had their eyes glued to Queen Mab. My brothers had all stood up straight, like earlier, and were also intently focused on her. I was the only one in the room that was not completely absorbed by her presence.

Mab stood up in one smooth motion, her white floor-length gown flowing around her. She smiled in a way I thought was obviously fake since it didn't reach her eyes. She reserved those smiles for her sons.

"Tomorrow is the day of the Exchange," she announced, her cool voice echoing around the large room. "It will be the day, once again, when Winter will receive the Scepter from Summer." Her smile turned into a smug grin in the small pause.

She then closed her dark eyes, dramatically lifting her arms to the ceiling and exclaiming, "So tonight, we shall feast!"

Upon her word, servants began to march into the room carrying tables laden with faery food that I will not touch. I scavenge for my own food in the mortal world by entering random trods.

Mab slowly let down her arms, opened her eyes, and glided towards her sons, most likely to discuss tomorrow's events. I took that chance to try and head for the exit.

I shuffled through the crowd, reciprocating all the dirty looks I was receiving with void stares of my own. My shoulders were being battered by the passing fey, yet I made no move to step away from their advances. What would be the point?

The exit was near, yet my feet didn't move any faster. My mind was no more eager. I simply did not care.

"And where do you think you are going?" my mother's voice asked from behind me.

"To my room," I answered politely, turning around and bending my body over into a formal bow. "May I go, my lady?"

"Why ask my permission? Do you care? You're just an automated shell. Leave. You make me sick," she spat down at me before whisking away, the only trace of her ever being there was the tightening coil in the pit of my stomach that was created in response and the slightest break in the air.

It turned out that her venomous reply was the thing to spark the fire back inside of me. Especially once I found the loophole that gave me the opportunity to break my loyalty to the Winter Court.

* * *

_The girl strode towards the doors with a purpose— something she hadn't had in a long time— a small bag of necessities slung over her shoulder, and her new, self-cut bangs flopping into her eyes. Her hand was on the door, ready to push it open and finally be free when a voice stopped her for the second time that night and hopefully, the last._

_"Where do you think you're going?" her mother asked smoothly._

_The girl turned around to see a sardonic eyebrow raise at her new look. For once in response, she didn't lower her head and mumble some unintelligible answer. This time, she held her chin high and matched her mother's gaze through her attempted straight but uneven-cut bangs with her own blazing, now-golden eyes._

_"I'm leaving just like you ordered me to," the girl answered in a calm, focused voice opposed to her usual, polite yet distant one._

_Her mother's eyes flashed, caught off guard, but other than that, her expression was just as level. "And you will be back when?"_

_Something that surprised her even more, was that the girl's lips quirked into a viciously smug smile. Her lips hadn't spread into any type of facial expression for the longest time._

_"Never," she whispered mockingly, gold eyes flaming wildly. With one last satisfied grin, she whirled around and placed her hand back on the door._

_"You can leave, but everyone will remember you. Recognize you by your eyes. Those bangs don't make them disappear, doesn't make you any different," her mother's voice hissed._

_Her sharp prod was ignored and the door was half-way open when the girl abruptly turned back around, stopping her mother in her tracks as she was making her own hasty leave._

_"And Lady Mab?"_

_Her mother twisted her head, still no expression on her face, but her eyes were glimmering with what seemed like hope and regret._

_The fact made her smile stretch from ear to ear._

_"My name is no longer Ebony. It's Ira. Iron is strong and considered a threat to you, as am I."_

_Upon that last word, the girl finally opened the door completely and practically skipped out, not bothered by the sound of the door booming shut behind her. The snow flurries swirled around her as if they were also taking joy in the moment. Then the words slammed into her._

_She was free._

_She was no longer Ebonia Rosabelle Tallyn of the Unseelie Court._

_She would from now on, be Ira of whatever the hell she feels like._

And it felt _good_.

* * *

**BYUM!**

**... I don't know what that was.**

**Well.**

**Ira is sounded out as Eye-rah... RAH! RAH! lol**

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**— The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles —**


	2. Interrogations and Lies

**********— **The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles ******—**_  
_

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**Well... I started my first year of high school last week...It's now the second week. But was it possible for me to be more lost on the second day than the first? Yes. Yes it was. But, on the bright side, I'm taking a Creative Writing Class (Yay writing!) and a guitar class (Yay guitar!) lol I'm happy... Other than the fact that my middle finger on my left hand is severely bruised from a weight... and it throbs whenever I press the 'e' and 'd' keys...**

**Yeah... And if you didn't notice the AN in Truth Be Told I'm Lying's story for the Iron Sister, than I'll tell you that this is the rewrite of the rewrite (because I'm just pathetic like that). It's not plagiarism because I _am _Truth, and this is _my_ plot. Just new account. So. Yeah. Sorry to confuse you guys heh... heh... **

**But. Queen of Air and Darkness definitely had the best flame 8D.**

**Did you guys know that 3rd pov is getting a lot easier for me? :3**

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_=:- Love and Respect -:=_

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**Interrogations and Lies**

_Sighing, Meghan slid off the back of the miniature Iron Horse with a small frown weighing on the corners of her mouth._

_Her dislike for horseback riding didn't help the fact that every time she looked at the horses, a strong hit of nostalgia for the original Iron Horse would overwhelm her mind nor did it do any good that she had just left the Elysium that went from slightly-tense to borderline-war-between-all-three-courts. Meghan's spirits definitely plummeted when she noticed that Puck wasn't there to lighten up the mood. _

_"My lady? Why are you dismounting?" came Glitch, her first lieutenant's, confused voice. "We are not yet at the designated trod."_

_Meghan bit back a sharp response that would have been completely fueled by irritation, and instead took a deep, somewhat calming breath, replying, "I need to stretch out my legs, so let's walk the rest of the way."_

_Glitch and the guards didn't argue, but they were muttering unintelligible things under their breath that she knew couldn't be compliments about her snarled, silvery blonde hair that was, once again, floating around like it had no weight._

_The horses trotted beside the group, coal black hooves lightly being coated with the dust of the road, and their fire bellies warming the air around them. The guards walked stiffly with their hands on the hilts of their iron swords while Glitch stayed by Meghan's side. They continued their way on the dirt road that wound away from the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, to a trod that led to the mortal world to meet a faerie there that was the maker of the Iron Court's weapons since they were in a shortage from all the new faeries that were popping up and joining the court._

_Glitch said that the trod was near, so Meghan nodded absently in acknowledgement while her legs moved without much thought. She stared forward and up at the bright green canopy of the Wyldwood that was bordering the road, wondering about how Lazarus was holding down the court when she noticed a foot swinging languidly through a break in the leaves. Her face immediately lit up with happiness and surprise, assuming that the leg belonged to a certain red-headed faery._

_Meghan was about to call out his name when a bright green light poured out from the empty spaces between the leaves. All of a sudden, the foot dropped down, exposing the jean-covered leg before swiftly disappearing. Right before it was snatched away from her sight, she realized that the leg was shorter and more feminine than Puck's lanky ones._

_Then, a chocolate bar fell from the leaves and landed near her feet with a small cloud of dust._

* * *

After a sharp blink, I roughly pulled myself back into the present after reliving my triumphant moment. I released a deep sigh and stared at my reflection in the clear pond water I was crouched in front of.

From the time I had left the Unseelie Court to now (which was approximately six hundred years), I had kept my haircut the same, although it was neater than my previous self-made cut. Dark, wispy layers that ended just below my shoulders and equally dark, choppy bangs that were supposed to run across my forehead, but still flopped into my eyes. Despite the similar hairstyle, much has changed about me. Physically and mentally.

Physically, I had grown tall (5'9 to be exact) and lean with strong, wiry muscles that helped me hold my own in a fight. My face wasn't as soft as it was when I was younger. Instead, it had sharp angles like most fey. My ears were pointier too as they curved delicately out of my hair.

Though I had changed much physically, my mentality was the one that had been altered the most. I was no longer the empty shell of a fey I was when in the Winter Court. When I left the court, I almost went back into my uncaring self before I snapped out of it. I realized that I needed something— a goal— to keep my fire burning. And I created one. My goal was to find a place where I could belong.

I thought it would be easy with the newly discovered aura I picked up that attracted most (not all) people— fey and human alike— to me. They want to be with me and not always in a romantic way. They want to be my friend, they want to spoil me, they want to worship me (1630 B.C. in Egypt. Thought being a queen would be cool until I realized that they would suck my brain out with a straw). In my opinion, it's some kind of redemption from when I was harshly outcasted in the Unseelie Court. It might help me eventually when I find a solution to my goal, but at times, I'm not quite sure about it. Especially when you're trying to steal some food. It sorta gives away your position when a human hangs onto your leg to keep you from leaving them.

Anyways.

My reflection showed a teenage girl of around nineteen years old. She looks like someone you don't want to get in the way of despite her youth (I'm not really that young, but they don't need to know that. It's not like grandmas flaunt their age, and I could be a grandma's grandma's grandma), her golden eyes glowing with something that wasn't human. I looked like someone you didn't want to be caught in a dark alley with. I look dangerous.

A smug smirk quirked up the corners of my lips with satisfaction. That's because I _am _dangerous. Nobody will dare think that I am weak nor do I want anyone to think I am, which was a huge difference from when I was living in the court where everyone would automatically know who I was and how frail I was by just seeing the emptiness in my eyes.

The other thing that changed drastically was my fighting ability. From the times I've gone to visit the human world, I've watched fights. Street fights, boxing fights, karate fights, everything. From that, I learned that I had the skill of mimicry. I can just watch someone fight and be able to mimic their talent perfectly.

To go with that, I also realized that I could also mimic glamour when I was originally watching some fey fight (viciously, if I may add) for sword fighting. It's strange and absolutely impossible that I could use both Summer and Winter glamour.

In theory.

I like to think that I'm the poster girl for NeverNever. I completely defy science and theories and live on beliefs of the impossible and imagination. I even defy the fey's knowledge.

My only troubles with my mimicking abilities are that I don't know how to fit that talent I copy into my fighting, right away. If I try a new move too early without enough practice, I end up using it at an inconvenient time, throwing myself out of my smooth tempo. I have a great memory, but my other struggle is that I sometimes I forget that some moves are too old-school and are too predictable. Now, enough about my weaknesses that are most likely my fatal flaws...

I let out a quick breath of air and smoothly stood up from my position, brushing off any dirt that had gotten onto my leather jacket and dark-wash skinny jeans. Usually, I don't stay too long near the pond in case a kelpie decides that I look good enough to eat, but today, I lost track of how long I was here. I'm guessing too long since I just saw a ripple in the water, not very far from where I am now.

Deciding that I'd rather not waste my energy and fight (even though it would only take a small flick of my fingers... okay. I admit it. I'm lazy), I took one last look at my reflection, flicked open my sunglasses, propped them onto my nose, and began dashing off to my tree, most likely disappointing the hungry kelpie. (Sorry, kepie. You just know how much I _hate _disappointing people. Monsters. You get the point. Sarcasm. Whatever.)_  
_

My tree was, well, my tree. It was where I went to rest when it got dark since it was dangerous to stay out. Pretty much, you can call it my home. Though, it was not a tree house. I don't believe in defacing nature to make houses (even though most homes in the human world are practically all about destroying nature, like clearing the land and cutting down trees, but I digress). I guess because I'm half-fey, I have that nature-loving side in me. It doesn't sound very comfortable to sleep in a tree without any cushions, but for some reason, it doesn't bother me.

After a short while of sprinting through the Wyldwood, I reached my tree. It was extremely massive with a sprawling, bright green canopy, a thick, dark brown trunk, and large roots that weaved in and out of the ground. In my opinion, it was pretty beautiful even though the surrounding trees were extremely similar. Nothing special about it.

You're probably wondering how I get up into the tree since I obviously can't just lay among the roots, that would defeat the purpose of going somewhere at night. A ladder would be a little too obvious even if I hide it in the bushes. Few of the monsters around here were clever, so they would realize it. I actually climb the tree. Well, the branches. Most people usually climb the trunk, but it would take a long time and leaves your back defenseless. So, I stepped back a few paces and sprinted as fast as I could towards the tree.

When I met the trunk, I braced my foot against it without breaking stride, and the momentum of when I pushed off it, threw me into the air. I spun in the air and grabbed a hold of the branch that was there. I pulled my legs up and around the branch, so I was hanging. Then I pulled my body up on top, so my legs were on either side. I did the same for the next branch up, and the next, and the next, hanging onto the branch then pulling my body up after. I do this a few more times until I reach the branch I usually sleep on. It's a lot of work just to get to a place I can rest, but its worth the safety.

I rested my back against the trunk and leaned my head back. One of my legs dangled carelessly off the branch as I grabbed a piece of candy from my bag and nibbled on the milk-chocolate bar without much thought. I was indifferent if whether my openly, swinging leg would attract any fey. My limbs were itching for a nice fight after a day of doing nothing other than being handed a large bag of chocolate bars— the chocolate was on the house as was the store's cloth bag— while I was browsing around in the mortal world.

I paused for a moment, ceasing my munching to push my large sunglasses farther up the bridge of my nose where it was threatening to slip and expose my eyes. Before I could break off another piece of the delicious dessert, my armlet heated up slightly and flared a bright, green light. Blinking in shock, I immediately dropped the candy bar, letting it begin its long fall to the forest floor, before touching the armlet. The ancient letters that were inscribed into it, flashed the same unnatural green before quickly growing larger until it was a thin blade that was made for hacking and had the faint, green aura surrounding it.

When my armlet flashes without my intention, it means that someone with a lot of power is near. It hasn't flashed that bright since I met Leanansidhe while following a rag-tag group of 'secretive' fey into the Between.

Standing up and balancing on the slightly shaking branch with ease and my sword in my hand, I curiously glanced down through the canopy of leaves just in time to see a dagger fly towards my face.

* * *

_"Glitch," Meghan said quietly under her breath, staring at the area where the sudden burst of light came from. "You saw that, right?"_

_"Yes, my lady. What do you think it might be?" he asked in a low voice as he eyed the gap in the leaves, ignoring his instinct to answer her question with a sarcastic response. The guards behind them were still and tense, aware that there was something wrong._

_Meghan frowned slightly. "What should we do?"_

_Glitch straightened up and strode to the spot under where the light came from. "Leave it to me," he murmured over his shoulder. _

_He then reached into his belt, pulling out a dagger. He looked up, analyzing the space above him. Without any warning, he whipped the dagger into the air. _

_After a few tense moments, it came down._

_In the hand of a dark-haired fey._

* * *

Well. Not the nicest way to announce your presence, I thought dryly as the dagger grew closer.

Just as it was a few inches from my face, I blew on it lightly. The dagger flipped around, blade pointing towards the ground. I grabbed the hilt and scowled at the space below me. Grabbing my bag of things, I slung it casually over my shoulder.

Then, I stepped off the branch.

The air whipped past me, causing my hair to fly up while I plummeted to the ground. As I met the dirt floor, I made sure to roll to keep the impact minimal.

I straightened my spine and smoothly leaned my back against the tree trunk with my bag smushed in between the two, before fixing my bangs back onto my forehead with one hand while the other held onto the dagger that was thrown at my face. I scanned the traveling group through my sunglasses, asking a condescending, "Yes?"

There were two blondes nearer to the front— a male with electric yellow hair wearing a leather much like my own except it had small studs adorning it while the female had more silvery sheen to her hair and a casual outfit of a nice blouse with a pair of jeans— and a group of armed, rigid guards were behind them.

They all regained their composure, whipping out their weapons.

"What are you doing?" the blonde male asked with narrowed, purple eyes, brandishing his sword around in what he thought was a menacing manor.

I raised my dark eyebrows at him. "Really? You're asking _me _what _I'm _doing? I hope you remember that _you _were the one that threw the dagger while I was just sitting in my tree."

He bristled angrily while sputtering, "I was just- I meant. You were just- We were- Just..." he then deflated, absolutely stumped as no comeback came into his mind. His glimmering, violet eyes were glazed over with stupefaction.

I brushed a hand across my lips to hide my brief, amused smile, trying my hardest not to double over and cackle like no tomorrow at the blonde guy's pathetic response, before leaning my back on the trunk of my tree, crossing my arms and ankles. As I settled for a victorious smirk at his moment of bafflement, I noticed that the girl was staring at me with a strange, slightly-reminiscing kind of look on her face, her body bent in half and one hand reaching towards the chocolate bar I dropped earlier.

Ignoring the strange look, I loosened my grip on the dagger in my hand, and tossed it lightly to the male who clumsily caught it while earning himself a few minor cuts. "There. And you can have that," I tossed over my shoulder to the two blondes as I headed into the forest to do my leap of faith back onto my tree, ignoring the oddness of a fey wanting a human food.

Then, a quiet, barely audible question from the slight, silvery-blonde had stopped me in my tracks, freezing me to the core with fear and repulsion at how quickly she figured out my secret.

"You're half human... Aren't you?"

After a moment of silence, my survival instincts finally kicked in, and I ended up tackling the female to the dirt ground. With a flash of green, a sharp dagger was in my hand and pressed against her long neck while my knees were on either side of her, making sure that she wasn't able to get up.

"Who the hell are you to be making such accusations?" I hissed angrily, doing my best to make it seem like I was a deeply insulted, _full_ fey, knowing that this facade would help keep my secret, a secret.

The girl looked calmly into my sunglasses with her big, blue eyes without a hint of fear in them, her silvery hair fanning out behind her head. In fact, instead of being scared, it seemed more like she was trying to penetrate past my sunglasses and see my actual eyes. Good luck with that. I have the darkest shade you could get. Actually, two shades darker than the darkest.

Meanwhile, the guards and the blonde male were watching the scene happen with absolute bewilderment written across their faces. This girl mustn't be very important to have such weak protectors. (Then why did my armlet flash? Is it getting old? I've only had it for a few hundred years...)

From the way they were situated when I hopped down from my tree, I could see that the guards were in a loose half-circle with her as the center, not the male. The male most likely was supposed to guard her front. They seemed prepared enough on the outside, but now that they're actually faced with a real, dangerous situation (A.K.A. Me), they're frozen. Then again, I moved so fast I must have been just a blur of leather and dark denim. Must be a little unnerving.

As I thought that over, the girl under me didn't respond to my question, but merely repeated her own. "Are you half-human?"

"No," I growled firmly, baring my teeth at her. The girl's guards blinked before regaining their composures and pointing their little swords at my back.

Then, to my utter shock, the girl smirked. She. Smirked. Did I mention that I had a knife to her throat? Why the hell is she _smirking_ in her current situation? Shouldn't she be begging to me to release her, saying that she'll do anything for me to release my hold on her? Is it just me, or would you also have felt like your ego had taken a hit in the same situation as mine?

"So... You _are_ half-human."

"Didn't I just say that I _wasn't_? Are you okay in the head?" I asked in exasperation, giving her an incredulous look. What is with this fey?

The girl gave me a patient look as if I were merely a child who didn't understand something instead of what she should be doing which was crying and pleading mercy.

Strange, strange faerie. Then again, fey aren't supposed to cry nor beg for mercy. Nor be caught in this kind of situation in the first place. If I were a regular fey, her throat would already be slit.

"You show the signs," she explained calmly, blinking her intelligent, blue eyes at me from underneath her slightly-raised, light blonde eyebrows.

"I show no signs," I sneered, internally panicking. Signs? How would she know what characteristics make up a half-human fey? _I _don't even know.

An amused smile threatened to take over her lips. "First off, you had a chocolate bar," she tilted her head, the dirt from the road sifting in with her hair as she questioned me. "What would a fey be doing with a human food?"

My eyes widened from behind my sunglasses, thankful that she couldn't notice that subtle reaction. Before, I was curious as to why _she _wanted the candy, but it turns out that she was wondering why _I _had the chocolate. Well, _crap._

"I snatched it from a human I was playing with in the mortal world," I replied smoothly, thinking quickly on my feet.

She narrowed her eyes at me and frowned disbelievingly. "Okay. Well, how do you explain not killing me as soon as you got a knife to my neck?" she retaliated.

"Might as well get some answers out of you before I _do _kill you," I sang lightly, raising my eyebrows sardonically.

Her face's expression grew cold.

"You're aura flickers with mistrust whenever you lie," she stated in an emotionless, monotone. "And we all know that full fey cannot lie. Therefore, you aren't a hundred percent fey." My jaw fell slack with shock at her conclusion as my arms retracted back to hang limply by my sides.

"And I should know," she continued solemnly, staring directly into my eyes (sunglasses), "because I'm the same as you. I am also half-human, half-fey."

* * *

**-places hand over heart- I swear to not rewrite this story again. Then again, I'm human, so my word means nothing :D**

**Is anyone else surprised that 'stupefaction' is a real word? xD the act of being stupefied. Or something along those words.**

**But HO-LEH CRAPPERS! **

**7 reviews.. I think it's because the first chapter made a few suspicions arise. But whatevs.**

**RoyalWriter: lol. sup. Now you know who I am. Well, if you read the AN at the top you would... Lol. You guess? That was a jab at my ego D: Good thing I have one the same size as Puck's LOL**

**doodle queen: I wouldn't plagiarize D: I don't even know how to spell the word... xD But there's always something to flame about~ Feel free to tell me how you feel )D**

**Queen of Air and Darkness: Ahahaha. Still love rereading your flame :D Dun hate me...**

**Emo Anna: Thanks! :3**

**Guest 1: I shall take it all over the place. First the human world. Then... well... I dunno really.**

**Twinni: I had to put you last because I always have the longest response for you xD I think getting better and better is an exaggeration... Lol. I like how you say flock-tastic. I should start using that too ;D But no one would understand me... IT WILL BE FINISHED! I SWEAR! :) I like them too despite the clicheness. LMFAO! I love how you mentioned that author xDDD It's funny how you write the exact opposite whenever you review LOL Ttylz Twinni!**

**Btw, Ebony is also a tree name if you were wondering :) Oh, and sorry if it's a bit bad at the end. I really wanted to post before I go to bed.**

**Night!**

* * *

**********— **The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles ******—**


	3. Favors and Freedom

**************— **The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles ******—**  


* * *

**-Rides an imaginary pony and pretends to be holding reins-**

**Anyone know what that's from? ;D Shoutouts to the people that know! :3 (Heh heh. The dark side~)  
**

**You wanna know something that happened to me in my life? (Probably not, but whatever. Who cares what you think... jkjk :D) I got a 77 on the first test I took in my honors Global History class. No joke. A 77. My teacher's pretty hard... Yeah. I was depressed for a day, now I'm fired up to ace her friggin class no matter what. You know what makes it hard for me to hate her class? Because she's so hilarious. Yeah... Conflicting emotions. I WILL ACE HER CLASS! Can I get some support? :D**

**Now. Back to the story which is so much less interesting than my human life...**

* * *

___=:- Love and Respect -:=_  


* * *

**Favors and Freedom**

"You're lying," I hissed, fingers clenching even tighter around my dagger making my already-white knuckles, extremely prominent.

This time, the girl stared up at me with amusement in her blue eyes. "If I were lying, I'd be half-human. If I weren't lying, I'd be half-human. So pretty much either way," she continued with a smirk twitching at her lips, "I'm not a complete fey."

My aura flared with anger at her completely logical reasoning.

"These things don't happen this spontaneously," I said with narrowed eyes behind my sunglasses.

"Yes, they do. They're called miracles," she answered, looking slightly bored.

Suddenly, all my energy was just knocked out of me in a large breath of air that slowly blew out from my lips as I said in a weary voice, "I like to call them setups."

When I heard her reasoning, my brain wasn't able to handle the impact of how what she was saying was true, so it just went blank. I slowly rolled off the girl and limply flopped onto my back. The only thing I was feeling was numbness as if somebody dumped me into a tub filled with ice-cold water, making it seem like all of my nerves have gone dead.

For some reason, the thought of another half-human, half-fey has never crossed my mind. I always thought I was, literally, forever alone.

Why do I have such a pessimistic train of thought?

Because I am a closed-minded, anti-social, forever-PMS'ing teenage, fey-hybrid with freaky golden eyes.

Truthfully, I've only felt like this one other time in my life: the time Mab told me about my father. The feeling of shock that just leaves you feeling empty, not yet able to conjure up the adequate emotions is something I've felt twice in my 600 years of life. The only difference between this moment and then, is the feeling that comes afterward.

Then, I wanted to tear the room apart, rip the furniture to pieces, but instead, sorrowfully sobbed my heart out in front of the Unseelie Queen who was drinking up my pain with sick satisfaction.

Now, there was an airy feeling in my chest. It was like a bird, with my body as its cage. The bird was fluttering it's wings, the feather tips lightly brushing its enclosure. The bird was hope. Yet, I reacted by threatening the life of the person who gave me that hope.

Just bloody brilliant.

* * *

_Meghan watched the girl cautiously, slowly lifting herself up to a sitting position. Her chest was tight and burning slightly with excitement though she managed to keep her face from twitching. Meghan was thinking about how amazed she was about finding someone like her. Simultaneously, her back thoughts were tinged with annoyance at how Glitch and the guards were more stupefied by their transaction than the two were._

_Speaking of which, the guards were noticing that the girl has gotten off of Meghan, and quickly started whipping out their swords._

_Meghan rolled her eyes, saying, "Really? You point them at her _after _she holds a dagger to my throat? Nice to know what you guys really think of me."_

_The guards' eyes widened before they began to apologize profusely._

_"Idiots," the dark-haired girl muttered under her breath, shaking her head with scorn._

_"Nah," Meghan responded. "They're just thick-headed sometimes."_

_The girl smirked faintly, seeming as if she weren't completely over the mind-blowing news. Meghan was surprised she_ was. _"'Specially the blonde over there. He really lives up to the stereotype, no?"_

_Meghan let out a laugh and gave the girl a bright, electrified smile that left her blinking in shock._

_"You know," Meghan said, still smiling. "You're all right. When you aren't trying to put a dagger in my throat that is."_

_And there started a beautiful friendship._

_Well, more like a beautiful conversation filled with easy-going banter and (somewhat) playful teasing to the _still _mystified male. _

_The only serious thing the girl could say about him was, "What a blonde."_

* * *

"Oh, _no_," Glitch breathed, staring at me with a horrified expression on his face. He then held his head in his hands. "This is so not happening. It's one thing to meet her and talk to her, but to do this, too? She's just like _him_. I'm going to go insane. Does nobody care about my sanity? I think not."

I stared at his rambling, hunched over figure with confusion in my eyes. Turning to Meghan, I hoped to get some answers when I saw her grinning, slightly maniacally, at me.

"What?" I asked, blinking blankly. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Meghan laughed, bright eyes twinkling mischievously.

"It is to me," Glitch groaned, dropping his head into his hands, "And I only just got over the first freaking news flash."

Then, our group fell into an awkward silence. Glitch was standing with his arms crossed, scowling at the floor. His body language shouted, 'I'm anti-social because I feel like it!', or something along those lines. The guards were being... Guard-like. You know, the type where they just stand there, hand on their sword while scanning the surroundings for any enemies.

I felt a gaze bore into the side of my head.

I looked up to see Meghan's eyes staring at me intently. Scuffing my worn out, black converse on the dirt floor, I glanced away, but her eyes never strayed.

Then, I broke.

"What? What? What you waiting for?" I blurted out in a slightly desperate tone. (Yes. You've read that correctly. _Desperate. _Let's just say, the three of us (the guards don't really count) have gotten pretty close over the past few... minutes? Hours? Does it matter?...)

"I thought you were thinking about your answer..." she said slowly, giving me a strange look.

"Answer to what question?" I asked, shaking my head in confusion.

She gave me a dazzling smile. "If you wanted to join my court, of course," she stated matter-of-factly.

I gawked at her. "'Scuse me?" I asked in a breathless voice.

"C'mon, Ira," Meghan energetically bounced up and down on the balls of her feet as she stood. "Join my court. You wouldn't have to live in a tree anymore," she baited, coating her voice with so much sugar, I was sure that she got a cavity.

"I..." What was I supposed to say? You're only asking me to join your court because I have this weird aura that attracts people to me? Yeah. That would go over like a ton of freaking bricks. I mean, we've gotten to know each other, but not enough for me to tell her _that_.

While I was struggling for an answer, a new variable was added to help try and sway my decision.

"Hello, princess. And aren't you in a curious situation."

I froze in place, my blood chilling as I heard the word. _Princess_.

When I was still in the Unseelie Court, the fey would mock me. They'd call me the Mistake Princess, the Royal Half-Breed, or would just sneer Princess in a horrible way. I've come to actually hate the word.

But when I heard it just now, addressed to someone, that hate ricochets back into my mind. Especially when I knew it was aimed towards me. A flare of muddled, red hatred bursted in my aura before quickly disappearing, leaving behind the usual swirl of bright, clear reds, oranges, and a dirty, overlay of gray.

"Grim!" Meghan exclaimed in surprise, not noticing my flash of anger.

"I know my name," the cait sith licked his paw before giving me an all-knowing look with a blink of his gold, saucer-like eyes from the large, smooth rock he appeared on.

"How have you been? Oh, and why are you still calling me Princess?" Meghan asked curiously, not knowing that it was _me _he aimed the title towards.

Wait a minute.

"Why would he call you princess?"

She turned to me and tilted her head. "Because I'm Oberon's daughter?"

I blinked quickly, feeling a headache coming in. The mind-blowing news caused me to blurt out the first thing that came to mind.

"I knew I thought I smelt something like dirt."

She raised her eyebrows at me.

My eyes widened.

"Wait. No, no, no. I didn't mean it like that," I backtracked, shaking my head and waving my hands in a slight panic. "It's more like an earthy smell!" Even I slapped my forehead in the classic face palm at my lame attempt at trying to cover up my mistake.

I winced and gave her a weak, sheepish grin. Meghan just rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Ah. Still as eloquent as ever, I see," the cait sith commented, staring at me with his all-knowing eyes.

I scowled at him. "Do me a favor: Go chase a rabbit and get eaten by a kelpie."

Meghan snorted before getting my attention, ignoring the fact that the cat and I know each other. Most likely since he knows everybody.

"So, will you?"

"Speaking of favors: she _will_," came the cat's voice, answering for me.

I turned to him with a cold look on my face. "Why do you think you have any right to-" I stopped, eyes opening as I absorbed his words.

I owed him a favor.

"If it helps," Glitch butted in. "I never liked cats."

* * *

**Heh. Heh. Whatta blonde. Sorry I ended it here. You guys probably already know what's going to happen a little after this, how Meghan reacts and all that, but everything after that is changed. Err. GOING to be changed, as in, I didn't write it yet. **

**I AM SUUUUUPPPPPPEEEEEERRRRR SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER! **

**Queen of Air and Darkness: -winces- Gawsh. Your glare is so icy that I could feel it coming from Mackie Effing Mad's story x.x Wut's the Pearl? :O Great. You get to learn about myths (which are always fun to know about... ish) when I get to learn about the brain size of a neanderthal .-. (50 cm cubed bigger than ours actually lol yes I do actually learn something in class) We call our world history 'Global History' 8D Sounds better doesn't it? ;D**

**Twinni: LOL! AND I UPDATE AFTER A MONTH! EVERYONE WINS! (Not really) Third person is okay now... I have to work on present tense .-. Lol. Ikr? Italics are so hard... I mean, to highlight a section and click an icon, phew, sweating, man. (Sarcasm. Gotta love it.) I think she did touch up on it actually at the end of the Iron Knight... Not sure. WHAT'S FOR DINNER? SPAGHETTI MAN! SPAGHETTI! (Dude, I had no idea how to spell spagetti, so I just did autocorrect xD) I'd really like a book buddy. Maybe your or Queenie could just move to my school, and we could talk in like, book code. Nobody'd know what we were saying unless they were total nerds like us :3 I wish I were fey. You think the Queen of Air and Darkness could turn me? Nah. She'd probably turn me into a brainless pet. Ahahaha. Okay. But this one was. Lame that is.  
**

**Ttylz broskis.**

* * *

**********— **The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles ******—**_  
_


	4. Loyalty and Souls

**************— **The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles ******—**  


* * *

**Okay. I know what you guys are thinking:**

**"Huh! So she decides to update _now? _Whatever. I'm going to read her work and _not _review because she doesn't deserve it!"**

**Because she doesn't. She does deserve not getting reviews. And she is sorry.  
**

**And she is wondering if the readers are proud of how well she can do third person point of view now.**

**But she would very much like reviews even it they are reviews of hate. :)**

**Well, not really. She wouldn't really like it.**

* * *

___=:- Love and Respect -:=_  


* * *

**Loyalty and Souls**

_I collapsed onto the leaf-covered floor at the foot of an ancient tree, legs unable to hold my weight up any longer. Taking a moment, I leaned back against its firm trunk before gathering up my nerves and prodding at my bleeding thigh wound with shaking hands. My breaths turned into pained hisses that escaped through clenched teeth which just barely held in an agonized howl as my fingers tried to blindly assess my cut._

_There wasn't much they could find out without my eyes, which were screwed shut with pain, other than the fact that it was deep. Extremely deep._

_When the fates determined getting sliced into like a pineapple wasn't enough torment for me, I just realized by the scorching sun rays beating down mercilessly on my back that I had unknowingly wandered into Summer territory._

_Fan-freaking-tastic._

_As I struggled to get on my feet in an attempt to avoid meeting some Seelies in my condition, a high-pitched voice trilled with derisive laughter._

_Well, damn._

_"Well, well, well. Now look at what we have here. You know," the voice sang with amusement, "if you're here for some devious plot against us, at least come a little less... pathetically. It's kind of insulting really."_

_Blazing golden eyes snapped open, anger quickly overwhelming the pain. "And yet despite my injury, you aren't here fighting me._ It's kind of insulting really," _I mocked._

_I heard a disbelieving snort that somehow sounded delicate and prim. "I do what's smart," the voice stated matter-of-factly, "I saw you fight and kill those Thornguards. You may be a half-breed and have that nasty little cut, but you still have Mab's blood which means you're lethal."_

_"I hope you know that you just totally contradicted yourself saying that I'm both pathetic and lethal."_

_I heard a hiss that was different from the other myriad of tones that came from this faerie. A smirk pulled at my lips. It was always fun making others snap their composures._

_"I'm trying to help, you insolent human," the voice spat._

_I paused thoughtfully before relying._

_"What could you do? And at what cost?" I answered with narrowed eyes._

_The voice responded, unaware of my anger. "Just a small favor. Not much," the faery cooed, switching back to their tinkling voice._

_I rolled my yellow eyes. "I don't think so."_

_There was a incredulous sputtering that caused a few leaves to drop. My eyes homed in on a spot in the canopy above. A smile threatened at my lips as the voice got over its surprise and attempted to sway my decision. _A little too late for that_, I thought._

_"Do not kid yourself, human," the voice purred. "You think you can get back into the shelter of the woods before I can call a horde of guards?" There was a haughty, 'ha!'. "I'd like to just see you—"_

_And the dagger I was slowly forming in the palm of my free hand went along its deadly course into the leaves above. There was a satisfying thunk as the blade sunk firmly into my target, and a small, pea-green form fell to the forest and crumbling into a heap._

_I stood up and walked towards the Wyldwood with barely a limp at all. Anger always did make me heal faster. _

_But I'm not saying thank you._

* * *

That was only just the beginning of my independence.

Back then, I ran into a lot of different situations— life-threatening ones most of the time. Ones that either included a fatal injury somewhere on my body or a faery recognizing who I was. All those times, I've never granted a favor, owed a debt, nor taken favors. I've seen faeries in the Unseelie court get so tangled up in debts of which they had no hopes of getting free that they had even gone mad, going into crazed rampages until a guard would emotionlessly slide a sword into their hearts.

Favors were dangerous. Debts even more so. and bets? Practically non-existent unless you were either incredibly clever or incredibly dumb.

This is why I don't grant favors.

Except for once.

In my defense, you don't know how freaking hard this cat is to kill.

* * *

"Grim," Meghan sighed exasperatedly with a firm glare at the cait sith. "I know you think you know everything— and most of the time you do—, but this is completely up to Ira and what—" she spewed out heatedly before I interrupted her.

"Is that your wish, Devil's Cat?" I asked in a soft, slightly detached voice.

"It is so," the cat purred while the others looked at me in confusion.

Then, it dawned on someone.

Surprisingly, it was Glitch who figured it out first.

"You have a debt to the cat," he stared at me.

"As many do," I answered stiffly, lips pursing minutely. A sigh escaped from my chest, causing my shoulders to slump as if the world were on them.

I turned to the cait sith. "And will my debt be repaid in full?"

He flicked his plush, gray tail impatiently. "Well, of course, human."

"Then, I shall comply." I turned to Meghan and bent my knees into a smooth curtsy that somehow worked without a skirt.

"Will you accept me into your court, Ms. Meghan?" I asked politely, staring blankly at my worn out converse.

I could feel her curious gaze on the back of my head, wondering what debt could be serious enough for a measure such as this one.

My legs were beginning to cramp when she finally stated, "You may. Let us go through the initiation."

Glancing up, I see her motioning for me to stand before her. I strode over purposefully.

"Kneel." I did.

"Ira, former member of the Unseelie Court," her voice turned powerful and regal opposed to her earlier, more casual tone. Strands of her fair hair were lifting as if she were being shocked but in a controlled way.

"Do you swear your loyalty to the Iron Court and myself? Willingly agreeing to all the consequences of doing so, which include severing all ties to your former court?" she asked.

"I, willing, swear my loyalty," I answered without hesitation. The air quivered around us from the power of her glamour and the contract, causing her hair to twitch before staying still in the air.

"Then, I now pronounce you a member of the Iron Court," she dubbed, placing two fingers to my forehead. My body felt a current run through my veins. Was that from her?

She took back her hand and jokingly wiped her forehead as if she were exhausted. "Whew," she said before giving me a small grin with pitying eyes. "Well, that's it."

I gave her a small smile that was my attempt to reassure her, saying it wasn't her fault.

Wow. Now, look at me.

I'm actually _reassuring _someone.

I was pondering anxiously about that thought when I felt an unnerving tingle race down my spine.

Well, damn. I know what that means.

"Hey, Queenie. I see you're still keeping frostbiting, black-hearted things around as company. I really do believe that that is a dangerous habit to keep."

While Meghan's face lit up with surprise and happiness, mine darkened into a scowl.

"And I really do believe," I muttered, fingering my armlet that was flaring extremely bright with all the power around us, "that the saying, 'Gingers have no souls,' was created specially for you, Goodfellow."

* * *

**YAY! PUCK IS HERE! YESSS! Sorry it's so short though. :/ Just needed to end it here.**

**LightningBolt21: Whoa. Those are some high standards. You must be super smart *-* But my grade was actually bumped up two points (79 now :D) since there was a mistake. Lol. Look for mistakes and get those extra points :)**

**Queenie: Heh. Oopsie. Yet, you know it was totally worth it ;) ****But I have a muse. He's pretty cool, but eventually he's going to run out of ideas and then so will I. What will you do with me then? lol How the continents are stupid? SO TRUE. PANGEA FTW! Yup. I like to see what the standards are to get reviews lol and just to see who's reviewing. LOL. I like that. It rhymes kinda :D Well, now he's here. I'm going to make this relationship like the one Ash and Mary-Lynette in Night World are. They were just so cute :DDD (YOU GOTTA READ L. J. SMITH! BEST SUPERNATURAL BOOKS EVA! SHE WRITES THEM ALLLL! Besides fairies. I think she reserves that specially for Julie Kagawa). **

**aishachase97: Aha. Well, this isn't soon. Not really. Has it been a month again? x.x I need to update sooner for reviewers like you :D**

**Mackie Effing Mad: Yeah. Queenie and I are just pro like that. Lol. And whoa -staggers back with hand on heart- YOU think I'M amazing? Dude. I love your story (speaking of which, I have to review) and it's just awesome-sauce. Seriously. But THANKS YEW! **

**LianaDare8: Hey! I remember you :D Thanks for reviewing again ^^ and for the idea, but it wouldn't go along with what I have planned. Though, I am going to mention something about his soul-searching journey, and somehow make it all useless. Heh. **

**TANKS YEWS FOR ALL REVIEWING! (Gawsh. I'm so excited to write some more about Puck ;D)**

* * *

******************— **The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles ******—**  



	5. Trods and Maturity

**************— **The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles ******—**  


* * *

**Okay. I know what you guys are thinking:**

**"Huh! So she decides to update _now? _Whatever. I'm going to read her work and _not _review because she doesn't deserve it!"**

**Because she doesn't. She does deserve not getting reviews. And she is sorry.  
**

**And she is wondering if the readers are proud of how well she can do third person point of view now.**

**But she would very much like reviews even it they are reviews of hate. :)**

**Well, not really. She wouldn't really like it.**

* * *

___=:- Love and Respect -:=_  


* * *

**Loyalty and Souls**

_I collapsed onto the leaf-covered floor at the foot of an ancient tree, legs unable to hold my weight up any longer. Taking a moment, I leaned back against its firm trunk before gathering up my nerves and prodding at my bleeding thigh wound with shaking hands. My breaths turned into pained hisses that escaped through clenched teeth which just barely held in an agonized howl as my fingers tried to blindly assess my cut._

_There wasn't much they could find out without my eyes, which were screwed shut with pain, other than the fact that it was deep. Extremely deep._

_When the fates determined getting sliced into like a pineapple wasn't enough torment for me, I just realized by the scorching sun rays beating down mercilessly on my back that I had unknowingly wandered into Summer territory._

_Fan-freaking-tastic._

_As I struggled to get on my feet in an attempt to avoid meeting some Seelies in my condition, a high-pitched voice trilled with derisive laughter._

_Well, damn._

_"Well, well, well. Now look at what we have here. You know," the voice sang with amusement, "if you're here for some devious plot against us, at least come a little less... pathetically. It's kind of insulting really."_

_Blazing golden eyes snapped open, anger quickly overwhelming the pain. "And yet despite my injury, you aren't here fighting me._ It's kind of insulting really," _I mocked._

_I heard a disbelieving snort that somehow sounded delicate and prim. "I do what's smart," the voice stated matter-of-factly, "I saw you fight and kill those Thornguards. You may be a half-breed and have that nasty little cut, but you still have Mab's blood which means you're lethal."_

_"I hope you know that you just totally contradicted yourself saying that I'm both pathetic and lethal."_

_I heard a hiss that was different from the other myriad of tones that came from this faerie. A smirk pulled at my lips. It was always fun making others snap their composures._

_"I'm trying to help, you insolent human," the voice spat._

_I paused thoughtfully before relying._

_"What could you do? And at what cost?" I answered with narrowed eyes._

_The voice responded, unaware of my anger. "Just a small favor. Not much," the faery cooed, switching back to their tinkling voice._

_I rolled my yellow eyes. "I don't think so."_

_There was a incredulous sputtering that caused a few leaves to drop. My eyes homed in on a spot in the canopy above. A smile threatened at my lips as the voice got over its surprise and attempted to sway my decision. _A little too late for that_, I thought._

_"Do not kid yourself, human," the voice purred. "You think you can get back into the shelter of the woods before I can call a horde of guards?" There was a haughty, 'ha!'. "I'd like to just see you—"_

_And the dagger I was slowly forming in the palm of my free hand went along its deadly course into the leaves above. There was a satisfying thunk as the blade sunk firmly into my target, and a small, pea-green form fell to the forest and crumbling into a heap._

_I stood up and walked towards the Wyldwood with barely a limp at all. Anger always did make me heal faster. _

_But I'm not saying thank you._

* * *

That was only just the beginning of my independence.

Back then, I ran into a lot of different situations— life-threatening ones most of the time. Ones that either included a fatal injury somewhere on my body or a faery recognizing who I was. All those times, I've never granted a favor, owed a debt, nor taken favors. I've seen faeries in the Unseelie court get so tangled up in debts of which they had no hopes of getting free that they had even gone mad, going into crazed rampages until a guard would emotionlessly slide a sword into their hearts.

Favors were dangerous. Debts even more so. and bets? Practically non-existent unless you were either incredibly clever or incredibly dumb.

This is why I don't grant favors.

Except for once.

In my defense, you don't know how freaking hard this cat is to kill.

* * *

"Grim," Meghan sighed exasperatedly with a firm glare at the cait sith. "I know you think you know everything— and most of the time you do—, but this is completely up to Ira and what—" she spewed out heatedly before I interrupted her.

"Is that your wish, Devil's Cat?" I asked in a soft, slightly detached voice.

"It is so," the cat purred while the others looked at me in confusion.

Then, it dawned on someone.

Surprisingly, it was Glitch who figured it out first.

"You have a debt to the cat," he stared at me.

"As many do," I answered stiffly, lips pursing minutely. A sigh escaped from my chest, causing my shoulders to slump as if the world were on them.

I turned to the cait sith. "And will my debt be repaid in full?"

He flicked his plush, gray tail impatiently. "Well, of course, human."

"Then, I shall comply." I turned to Meghan and bent my knees into a smooth curtsy that somehow worked without a skirt.

"Will you accept me into your court, Ms. Meghan?" I asked politely, staring blankly at my worn out converse.

I could feel her curious gaze on the back of my head, wondering what debt could be serious enough for a measure such as this one.

My legs were beginning to cramp when she finally stated, "You may. Let us go through the initiation."

Glancing up, I see her motioning for me to stand before her. I strode over purposefully.

"Kneel." I did.

"Ira, former member of the Unseelie Court," her voice turned powerful and regal opposed to her earlier, more casual tone. Strands of her fair hair were lifting as if she were being shocked but in a controlled way.

"Do you swear your loyalty to the Iron Court and myself? Willingly agreeing to all the consequences of doing so, which include severing all ties to your former court?" she asked.

"I, willing, swear my loyalty," I answered without hesitation. The air quivered around us from the power of her glamour and the contract, causing her hair to twitch before staying still in the air.

"Then, I now pronounce you a member of the Iron Court," she dubbed, placing two fingers to my forehead. My body felt a current run through my veins. Was that from her?

She took back her hand and jokingly wiped her forehead as if she were exhausted. "Whew," she said before giving me a small grin with pitying eyes. "Well, that's it."

I gave her a small smile that was my attempt to reassure her, saying it wasn't her fault.

Wow. Now, look at me.

I'm actually _reassuring _someone.

I was pondering anxiously about that thought when I felt an unnerving tingle race down my spine.

Well, damn. I know what that means.

"Hey, Queenie. I see you're still keeping frostbiting, black-hearted things around as company. I really do believe that that is a dangerous habit to keep."

While Meghan's face lit up with surprise and happiness, mine darkened into a scowl.

"And I really do believe," I muttered, fingering my armlet that was flaring extremely bright with all the power around us, "that the saying, 'Gingers have no souls,' was created specially for you, Goodfellow."

* * *

**YAY! PUCK IS HERE! YESSS! Sorry it's so short though. :/ Just needed to end it here.**

**LightningBolt21: Whoa. Those are some high standards. You must be super smart *-* But my grade was actually bumped up two points (79 now :D) since there was a mistake. Lol. Look for mistakes and get those extra points :)**

**Queenie: Heh. Oopsie. Yet, you know it was totally worth it ;) ****But I have a muse. He's pretty cool, but eventually he's going to run out of ideas and then so will I. What will you do with me then? lol How the continents are stupid? SO TRUE. PANGEA FTW! Yup. I like to see what the standards are to get reviews lol and just to see who's reviewing. LOL. I like that. It rhymes kinda :D Well, now he's here. I'm going to make this relationship like the one Ash and Mary-Lynette in Night World are. They were just so cute :DDD (YOU GOTTA READ L. J. SMITH! BEST SUPERNATURAL BOOKS EVA! SHE WRITES THEM ALLLL! Besides fairies. I think she reserves that specially for Julie Kagawa). **

**aishachase97: Aha. Well, this isn't soon. Not really. Has it been a month again? x.x I need to update sooner for reviewers like you :D**

**Mackie Effing Mad: Yeah. Queenie and I are just pro like that. Lol. And whoa -staggers back with hand on heart- YOU think I'M amazing? Dude. I love your story (speaking of which, I have to review) and it's just awesome-sauce. Seriously. But THANKS YEW! **

**LianaDare8: Hey! I remember you :D Thanks for reviewing again ^^ and for the idea, but it wouldn't go along with what I have planned. Though, I am going to mention something about his soul-searching journey, and somehow make it all useless. Heh. **

**TANKS YEWS FOR ALL REVIEWING! (Gawsh. I'm so excited to write some more about Puck ;D)**

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******************— **The Girl Who Fakes Her Smiles ******—**  



	6. Meetings and Fire

**(*Warning* Not completely edited (like, the second half or so), so please don't hate me for the difference in quality.)**

**Heh. I had fun writing this. The type of speech they take on isn't completely correct, but it was fun trying to translate my original banter and insults to Old English or King's English or whatever the hell I did lol. Oh wait, I had the old English, but then I got rid of it cuz it was too weird and the comebacks were too awkward... Bleh. I tried..**

**So. Let's just pretend like people talked the same we do now, a thousand years ago. Along with that, let's pretend that faeries are real :D (then again, we all know they are, so no pretending needed.)**

**And, yes. I did change my username again. Yeah. I know. I am pathetic. Oh, well. I'm really thinking about keeping this one though. The last one was just too... sad. :x **

**And because ninjas are beast. Nuff said.**

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_=:- Love and Respect -:=_

* * *

**Meetings and Fire**

_I twirled my daggers in my hands absently, taking in the interior of the castle with boredom. _

_The ceilings of the halls arched gracefully above my head with intricate moldings lining the edges. The tiled floor was polished until it was gleaming, and the paintings adorning the walls looked as if they were freshly created, the substance shining like it was wet. _

_This is too strange. Where the hell are the monsters? I came here expecting to fight through hordes of creatures with varying sizes in teeth and claws, yet here I am, strolling through the hallways like I'm taking a walk in the park. Is this a hide-and-seek challenge? If it is, I don't think I'll last very long. My patience is something that is pretty questionable._

_Letting out a sigh of frustration, I reached the end of the hallway and was about to turn the corner when I bumped into something. _

_A startled gasp escaped from my lips as I staggered back a step from the impact, feeling electricity thrum through my veins at contact. I held out my minutely-shaking arms a few inches from my sides to keep myself balanced on the balls of my feet like a bird getting ready for flight. Blowing away the fringe that was obstructing my vision, my eyes sharply glanced up to see an alarmed, beautiful, redheaded fey with a simply-crafted bow strapped to his back and a dagger held loosely in his long fingers._

_Immediately reacting to his weapons, I straightened into a defensive stance with my legs spread out, knees slightly bent, and my knives held in front of my chest and neck. In a time period that was just as quick as mine, he had arranged himself into a wary, ready, and slightly bristling pose with his bright, emerald eyes narrowing suspiciously while he sized me up as an opponent, and I did likewise._

_"See anything you like?" he quipped, surprising me. I blinked as a strange shiver went down my spine at the sound of his smooth, deep voice, which went unnoticed as I kept my body reactionless despite the feeling._

_"I'm not seeing much of anything at all, really" I answered coolly giving my head a patronizing tilt to let him know that I wasn't interested. Though, that wasn't entirely of truth._

_I must admit, he was quite the looker. He wore loose, dark brown trousers made of a thick fabric tucked into a pair of tan, leather boots that molded to his feet and emphasized his long and muscular calves along with a comfortable, hunter green tunic that failed to completely hide his toned chest and arms. Below his artfully messy, fiery red hair, he had defined, sharp cheekbones and alluring, emerald green eyes with a strong jaw. Yes. This faerie was quite handsome._

_Not that I'd let him know._

_Judging by the first words that have escaped his mouth, I could tell he did not need a lift to his pride but possibly needed to be taken down a few notches. Something of which I'd be more than happy to do. I guess you could describe me as mildly sadistic..._

_An amused smirk played at the faerie's lips in response. "For being a nothing, you've been watching me long enough to make me feel like a something," he remarked arrogantly._

_I quirked an eyebrow. "You're a bit off the mark. I'm actually hoping with all my heart that you'll end up being just another figment of my nightmarish imagination that will disappear any second now."_

_He grinned, not in the slightest deterred by my prod but seemingly even more provoked. "Honey, I doubt I'm a part of any nightmarish imagination or any imagination of yours at all. This," the redhead gestured down to his body, "is too amazing for anyone to recreate without any help."_

_I was incorrect. He could most definitely use an ego deflation. A large one._

_"As—" I started before being cutoff by a sudden sharp motion of his arm. My eyes narrowed and my mouth opened to respond once more when I noticed the serious look in his eyes as he stared at something over my shoulder. My muscles tensed, and I mentally berated myself for letting my guard down in one the most feared palaces in the faery world to talk to some handsome redhead. Honestly, I don't know what had come over me._

_"Hey," he said in a low voice, catching my attention. His shining, green eyes pierced into mine as he uttered the warning, "Don't. Move. A muscle."_

_What. A. Cliche._

_Of course, me being the rebel I was, turned around. Yeah. Big mistake._

_I quickly leapt to the side and into an agile tumble that landed me back onto my feet. Staring at the spot where I was formerly standing, my jaw hung loose as I took in, well, nothing._

_Literally, nothing._

_As in, the floor has been vaporized, and all that was left was a huge gaping hole. One that I would be enjoined with if I hadn't moved at the last second._

_"Damn," the faerie cursed, dancing away a fireball that threatened to turn him into pixie dust. He set his blazing eyes on me. "You couldn't have stopped moving for the few moments it would have taken for the dragon to leave the hallway?" he asked in exasperation. "I thought Winters were good at that stuff." He ran a hand through his fiery hair that matched the flames that were dancing around us._

_"Hey," I defended over the dragon's furious roars while swiping at a claw that was getting too close for my liking, "I only just met you; did you seriously think I was going to obey your word just like that?"_

_He sputtered incredulously as he released a fuzzy, brown ball on his belt and threw it at the dragon. The ball exploded into an angry bear that stood for a second before being destroyed by the dragon and turning into a weak flurry of leaves. "How you didn't notice a sixty foot dragon roaming through the hallways is beyond me."_

_"Many things are beyond you," I muttered, forming a long, sharp ice spear and whipping it into the dragon's side, piercing the hide. Its bellows turning into agonized howls before spitting fire every which way in angered retaliation._

_"Nice job! You should join the Olympic spear hurdling team!" he called sarcastically, simultaneously slashing the dragon's leathery wings and beating down the bottom of his sweatshirt that hadn't been able to escape the fire._

_"Oh, look! Now your tunic and your hair match! One point for color coordination! By the way, it's called javelin throwing!" I shouted back._

_As we continued fighting the dragon and verbally attacking each other, our bodies moved as if perfectly attuned to each either with the strange tingling aside. Our team work was impeccable like we had been fighting by each others' sides for lifetimes as we ducked, attacked, weaved, advanced, and retreated. Just when we were about to defeat the dragon, I took at step back and looked up at the beast._

_"What the hell are you doing?" my temporary partner asked, appearing at my side in an instant. He gave me a disbelieving look after shooting his last feather-tipped arrow from his bow with a strong thrum at the dragon's chest with almost perfect accuracy. Ha. Not so much of a hotshot there, were you?_

_"Don't tell me that you're queasy about killing it," he blanched, pausing to stare at me in horror._

_I scoffed, "Of course not. But," I pointed at the weakened dragon, "It is so not sixty feet tall."_

* * *

_After killing the dragon, you'd think the faerie and I would have forming a kinship with the teamwork and all._

_But nope._

_We immediately turned against each other, the dragon's corpse laying on the crumbling tiles. We attacked each other, we threw paintings at each other, we tried to stab each other, we hated each other._

_All because of this stupid tingling sensation it turned out._

_"Quit it!" he roared, chucking another knife at me. It skimmed under my ear and above my shoulder, cutting off a chunk of my dark hair before lodging firmly into the stone behind me. If I hadn't moved, it would have cleanly sliced my head from my neck._

_Now, that got me a little angry._

_"You have anger management issues," I hissed while taking a small step back. My fist began to clench into tight fists. The dragon was dead, and no other monsters were heading this way, yet he's blaming me for something? What does he think I did? Make the humans stop believing in us? Destroy his favorite pair of underpants?__  
_

_"Me? _I _have problems? _Me_?" he shouted with a touch of hysteria in his voice._

_"Naw. I was talking to the large audience we seemed to have gained," I said, sarcasm practically dripping from my tone as I gestured to the empty hallway._

_His green eyes flashed. "I've been dealing with it ever since we bumped into each other, and even while fighting the dragon, but you haven't let up at all, and I'm getting a bit annoyed," he ground out in a low growl._

_"Really? I thought you had an itch on your back you couldn't reach."_

_He sucked in a sharp breath before letting it out, trying to keep his temper in control. "It's more of a tingling that won't go away," he muttered._

_I looked at him in shock. "You feel it, too?" I whispered, feeling relief course through my veins. So it wasn't just me that was going crazy... At least when we get diagnosed with a strange disease, I won't be dying alone. I hope he kicks the bucket first, so I have a moment to smile before traveling down the same path. Could anyone blame me? He just tried to decapitate me. Don't I have the right to develop harsh feelings? Well, I guess a human wouldn't exactly agree since the mortal society is just so sickeningly patriarchal right now._

_The faerie stared at me. _

_"So... y__ou're not the one doing it?" I asked dumbly._

_"No, I just attacked you for the shits and giggles of it and not because I thought you were doing something to me," he rolled his eyes._

_My lips pursed. Don't kill him, don't kill him, don't kill him. _

_Great. Time to get serious._

_I sighed before crossing my arms and leaning back against the wall. "Obviously, the two of us are here for a reason. It's unheard of to have two competitors in here," I said in an attempt to get the ball rolling._

_"Or maybe the other competitor just ends up dead," he fired back._

_"And maybe I should just kill you now and get this over with," I mocked under my breath. This _thing _crackled with energy._

_I sucked in a sharp breath. Man, that was going to be annoying. "Maybe we should work together," I proposed slowly, watching him carefully in case he decided to come swinging with sharp objects._

_His green eyes studied me for a moment. Then, he sighed and raked a hand through his hair before agreeing sullenly, "Fine, lets."_

* * *

_"YOU ARE DEAD, YOU PUNY PESTILENCES!" Deep, gargling voices roared agreeingly in response._

_"Honestly, I was having a great time wandering an empty castle until we met. You're a bad luck charm, aren't you?" Goodfellow muttered scathingly as the two of us dashed up a grand staircase with a horde of uncharacteristically-intelligent trolls following us._

_"I could say the same to you, but how about we work on getting rid of the not-so-little uglies that decided to play a game of tag with us, hm?" I ground out through clenched teeth, annoyed that the little crap thought I was the cause of all the worlds' problems._

_"You know, self-esteem issues can lead to even bigger problems," he remarked before making a sharp right that had me stumbling for a moment. Damn guys and their natural ability to make sharp turns while running._

_"Like the over-inflated head you have to cart around everyday?"_

_Goodfellow gave me a sideways grin. The electricity picked up a small notch, only adding to the adrenaline. Heavy footsteps and animistic grunts could be heard from the hallway we just exited. _

_My eyes flitted around __the room we entered, daggers held firmly in my hands. _

_"And you got us cornered. Nice job," my accomplice of the time-being drawled._

_Turning to him, I said with a snarl, "Might I remind you that you were the one to turn the—" I cut myself off as I locked in on an object that hung from the sweeping chandelier above our heads._

_"What—" He looked up as well._

_Then, I noticed something. The sounds of the trolls were gone._

_"Hey, Frost-bite? Can I tell you something about myself?" Goodfellow asked in a slightly detached voice while I kept my gaze on the silver band that was hanging delicately on the arm of the chandelier. It teasingly flashed, reflecting the light as it swayed gently._

_"No," I answered, not really paying attention but heard enough to recognize the nickname._

_"Well, I don't care," he stated. I saw him move from the corner of my eye. _

_"The thing is, I don't like to share."_

* * *

"You're going to die one day, surrounded by extremely-sharp, iron things with a troll sitting on your chest, and a 'kick me' sign stuck to your back. It will all be by my hand," I stated calmly, pressing a hand against my nose.

"Look what you did! You made her angry, and now she's going most likely going to do me bodily harm," Glitch hissed at Goodfellow from behind my back.

I felt the smugness oozing from the redhead.

"Honestly, it was her fault for not knowing it wasn't a trod," the twit declared, not bothering to lower his voice.

My hand lowered from my face and clenched into a dangerous fist.

Meghan was scolding Puck, "You shouldn't play tricks on us like that."

"Yeah, Goodfellow," I echoed. "You really shouldn't."

"And why not? Is the little ice princess delicate?" he fired back.

Whirling around, I set my eyes on him, ignoring the wide-eyed looks on Meghan and Glitch's faces. "I dare you to call me that again."

There was a malicious curl to Goodfellow's lips as he said, "Ice princess."

Well, more like ice pri— since I had cut him off by throwing a knife at his neck. The clone choked theatrically for a moment before bursting into a flurry of autumnal leaves.

"Now, come out and show yourself. You know you can't hide from me," I growled.

"Oh, I wonder why I even bother," Goodfellow's voice said mockingly from behind me.

Slowly turning around, ignoring the wide-eyed looks on Meghan and Glitch's faces, I faced an armed redheaded faery who was crouched into a dangerous position.

I lifted an unclenched hand from my side, brought it to the front of his face, and snapped my fingers.

A tendril of his fiery red hair lit into actual flames.

* * *

**Oh my god. I'm just so freaking happy that I can't stop laughing and smiling and standing up to cover my mouth and grin like an idiot... I don't know why. Seriously. I have nothing to really really smile about. I keep sneezing and my nose keeps dripping since I'm sick. I have homework to do. But here I am, grinning like a fool and smiling even wider with even song I recognize on the radio and laughing at my own writing even though it isn't funny... The hell is wrong with me? o-O**

**Whatever. **

**Heh. Just so happeh! :)**

**Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.**

**I wrote the AN a while ago, and as I'm looking back, there is no doubt that I was high... on my sickness. Be careful y'all. Don't catch the loopy disease.**

**Btw, I didn't put who got the item for a reason. Well, no I didn't.**

**I'll just shove it into a different chapter. **

**Rafanan: You are first to be responded to. Why? Because you commented twice just to get me to update. :D Thanks! And, lol. Ira'll kick Ash's ass... in a long time. Sorry. The ass-kicking is a bit of a way off xD**

**Queenie: You... Word-twister. .-. Yeah. That's as mean as I could get when talking about you xD lol I like fictional characters that have red hair (like anime and stuff), but I didn't realize I liked them more than others until I met Puck. He opened my eyes LOL Ah yeah. I did do that. I should have ended it before I explained all the stuff, but oh well. I don't want to change it... (cough... I'm so not lazy). Isn't Puck, like, really young in the Sisters Grimm? Or young-looking? And tanks yew :)**

**Mackie Effing Mad: YES! ICE-CREAM! Wait what? I dunno... Omg. I can make people feel disappointed... That is so cool. (Oh... Did I sound sadistic there?) But tanks yews too :D**

**Blood Bond: If this is crack, crack should become legal. If it doesn't become legal... I'm going to jail? D; Ahh. That's deep. And cool. Loyalty ftw :)**

**Twinzie: Twinni... We've become detached D: (-calls a surgeon and places an appointment for a reattachment-)**

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**Whoosh!**

**Like a Ninja**


	7. Pain and Duty

**Hello my little loverlies. I am once again updating randomly. I'll really try to start updating sooner since I'm actually getting somewhere. I'm nearing the part where the actual action begins. Yes, all these chapters were practically fillers. Sorry. o.o**

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_=:- Love and Respect -:=_

* * *

**Pain and Duty**

Goodfellow emitted a startled yelp and starting patting at his head, squelching the flames that were beginning to explore his equally fiery locks.

My chuckle had a hint of sadism. You know, just a little.

After putting out the fire on his head, his blazing green eyes lifted to meet mine, piercing straight through my sunglasses. "I hope you have life insurance," he said with a callous smile, continuing, "because you are _so _dead." With that, he flew towards me with a dagger in hand.

Jumping to the side, I just barely missed feeling his blade slice into my stomach. It tip ripped a small hole in my shirt instead.

We then found ourselves circling each other in a familiar rotation. I carefully watched his movements, and I knew without a doubt that he was also analyzing mine. He shifted his weight onto his left foot, and I burst forward to attack.

Our weapons met with satisfying screeches. I could vaguely hear Meghan yelling at us to stop fighting in the background and Glitch watching with a gleeful smile, but I was too focused on ripping the smirk off of Goodfellow's face and leaving just a red smear in its place.

Violent? Maybe. Well-deserved? _Most_ _definitely_.

After a few blows to each other, we simultaneously jumped away from each other before circling again. Neither of us had any scratches; it was a normal occurrence- even from the start, save for the fight over the prize from Tynem's Dare.

Obviously, I had won that.

Okay, okay. It became more of a race than a fight. I just got to the prize first by tripping him. Juvenile, yes, but the way we were going, it would have stayed a stalemate until we both collapsed from exhaustion, not wounds. Then, another challenger would just stroll in and snatch it away in front of our noses. I had to do _something_. I just got lucky when his shoes became untied.

Coming back to the battle, I froze the grass beneath his feet before hurling a dagger his way. He dropped to the ground and rolled off the patch of ice, sending a wild boar towards me. The squeals of the boar were flinch-worthy, and the way it was barreling its way to me was unnerving. I never liked pigs. Too much squealing. Must be the same reason why I don't like human, teenage girls.

Bending my knees slightly, I waited before springing into the air, the coarse-furred boar passing straight under me. As soon as I touched the ground, I whirled around, sending an ice-shard into its side as it tried to make a u-turn, causing a severed twig to fall to the floor.

I was about to fling my body to the side into the cover of the trees, anticipating the attack I knew was going to be made by Goodfellow, when I was stopped by Meghan's power-filled voice.

"_As your queen, I command you to cease fighting!_"

My mind was screaming at my body to move, to not obey, but it was. I wasn't rebelling but submitting.

And for that reason, I felt a blade plunge into my shoulder. Deep.

The world went black.

* * *

My body was aching. My shoulder was on fire. My head felt heavy.

And the ground covered in tiny rocks under my back wasn't helping in the least.

Slowly, I cracked open my eyes only to have sunlight pierce them. Gritting my teeth, I persevered and opened them wider to see Meghan sitting beside me, a worried expression on her face.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered with horror in her voice as soon as she realized I was awake.

I kept my face emotionless, not showing the agonizing pain that was coursing through my body. I didn't show the bitterness I was feeling because my own queen was the reason I got hurt. I didn't show the shock, and for some reason anger, of actually being wounded by Goodfellow. I didn't show anything.

"It's not your fault," I muttered without any emotion or conviction before closing my eyes again and resting my hands on my stomach.

"Yes, it is. If I hadn't stopped you, you wouldn't have gotten hurt." She let out a shaky laugh. "This reminds me of Romeo and Juliet. The scene where Romeo gets in between Mercutio and Tybalt during their fight?"

"The difference is, Mercutio's dead," I stated monotonously while hiding the reaction that was threatening to escape my wall. That stupid play.

Meghan was silent, so I assumed she was just taking in my slightly-morbid response.

"Where are my sunglasses?" I asked suddenly once I noticed that there wasn't any weight on the bridge of my nose.

"They're right here and in perfect condition" I felt the plastic being pressed into my hand.

Opening them up with the one hand, I put the wrap-around sunglasses on and had a small feeling of relief pass through my chest.

They were my comfort item.

I didn't necessarily need them. Sure, the sun annoys me when it's frantically waving down at me like a sugar-hyped child, but it's tolerable any other time. I've just become used to wearing them wherever, whenever.

Once I had left the Winter Court, her majesty's warning still stayed in my head. Not the part of where I wouldn't survive long— after all, I'm right here— but the part where my eyes would give away my identity. I had decided that I could hide my eye color with glamour. There wasn't anything else I could use unless I wanted to walk around with a blindfold on since I was still weak and unprepared; I couldn't depend on my other senses as well as I can now.

Once I began to act on the plan, I had realized two things: one, I couldn't keep up any glamour for a long amount of time, and two, I didn't know how to create glamour without any help.

Yeah, I was kind of pathetic back then.

Eventually, I was able to develop a small inkling as to how I could manipulate glamour on my own without my cruel instructors. During my practices with the trainers, the glamour in the training area was more controllable, so it was easier for me to use. The glamour of the Wyldwood was absolutely wild. It took me quite a long time and a couple of near-death encounters for me to finally figure it out.

Then, when I realized I could do it, I almost collapsed. It drained me to use glamour. I had to build up the stamina to use it, so I had to stay out of sight. I thought I would be prepared for the rest of Nevernever, but I had no idea.

After some human years, I got the hang of glamour as well as fighting. Discovering my little quirk of mimicry was a bit helpful, too. Though, when the sunglasses were invented, I was still a bit grateful. It was a pain to remember to keep up the glamour for my eyes whenever I open my eyes.

"Why were you holding back?"

The question suddenly broke me out of my reverencing of the invention of sunglasses. "I wasn't holding back," I answered automatically before internally cringing. Curse my habit of saying whatever I was thinking. When you're alone, or as alone as you can get in the Wyldwood, I had a tendency to think aloud. I think it's luck that I haven't slipped up too badly yet.

"Well, you're armlet isn't exactly just an accessory, am I correct?" she asked.

"No, it isn't."

"So, then why didn't you use it?" She sounded confused. "It most likely would have been more effective than the endless supply of daggers you two seem to keep someplace on your body."

I let out a sharp, aggravated sigh. "Because it wouldn't do anything but drain my glamour," I answered in a clipped tone. "That sneaky little bastard can avoid anything I throw at him."

"And it seemed the same on your side, too." Meghan let out a sigh that was different than mine— hers was filled with regret and guilt.

"At least until I interfered," she added quietly.

Sitting up, I made sure to face Meghan before bowing my head respectfully.

"Wha—what are you doing? You should be laying down," she fussed, waving her hands around dramatically.

I ignored her complaints. "You must not feel regret," I said softly. "I was obeying your orders. My injuries mean nothing if it means I was able to serve my queen."

She stopped talking.

"And really, it means a lot that you are feeling distraught over me even though is it not needed. I am truly lucky to have a caring queen like you," I finished, tilting my head up to look at her face.

Her pale blue eyes were thoughtful as she watched me.

"I think I'm the lucky one," she murmured with a small smile, "to have such a dedicated faerie serving me."

I felt shock jerk at my insides. She complimented me. She didn't command me to leave their sight because I was an eye sore. It was like she actually w_anted _me here.

Noticing that my mouth was open in surprise, I asked a question to cover it up. "Did you want me to hurt Goodfellow or something? I thought he was your friend," I blurted.

"Of course not," she replied immediately with humor in her tone. "I just didn't want you to get hurt because it looked like you were underestimating him by not using your armlet."

Once again, I was surprised. Meghan seemed to really care about my well-being.

"It's weird," Meghan thought aloud randomly. I snapped to attention. "I feel like I've seen Puck fight with you like he had with someone else before."

She frowned slightly before a her eyes lit up as if she had the epiphany. She even dramatically snapped her fingers— an action of which I just had to raise my eyebrow at despite our current relationship.

"I got it!" she exclaimed happily. "It's—"

Then, Meghan froze, the pleased expression sliding off her face to be replaced with a dazed one. Her lips formed a small 'o', and it looked as if there was a small film of moisture forming over her eyes.

I knew I should have stayed out of it. I should have just minded my own business and save her from more pain, but then again, I wasn't exactly to be known as the 'gentle spirit'.

"Who is it?"

She flinched, then, immediately straightened her back and hardening her jaw like a coach had barked at her to lift her chin. There was steely determination in her eyes as she stated the name with what greatly resembled pride before trotting into the trees and disappearing.

The thing was, I didn't expect the name to impact me just as much as it had her by freezing me in place with shock and resentment.

"_Ash._"

* * *

**Ohh, Ash. Yay. Well, just his name, but oh well.**

**NightSand: You're too sweet x.x I feel like my writing keeps changing with every new chapter, but you're just too nice to point it out lol. Love the support, thanks so muuuch ^^**

**xX Blood-Bond Xx: Awh, thanks! Really? It has? I just... write some stuff down and edit. I'm not so much for going that deeply into it for fanfictions but thanks for making it sound like I did XD Yup, lots of hate and some extra hate in the next chapter. Yes, Glitch is whiny. Honestly, I made him like that on purpose. In the books, he's all cool and tough and stuff (and hot, I mean, _violet eyes_ -faints-), but I just made him a little dork here. I dunno, I needed someone to be whiny. Meghan was whiny in my previous version, but that was just way to OOC, so now she's just... decently whiny? I dunno. As for the dash (I call the long dashes 'em dashes' since that's what they are... or one of their names), I was just lazy in the last chapter. I fixed it lol. (Random fact: The longer dashes look way cooler than the shorter ones, and I like using them a lot more, too ^^) Thanks for reviewing!**

**Mackie Effing Mad: Lol, thanks! :D Puck... will be Puck. Or however my Puck is to be Puck... That made no sense. And lol, yus. Then again, isn't he cute always? ;D Lol, but your character is just adorable when she compliments him and stuff. Then his chest gets all puffy like a proud little boy LOL. Tumblr fangirl? Tumblr was confusing to use...**

**Lark, lark, lark, lark. Isn't that a bird?**

**Oh, this chapter is not thoroughly edited. Man, I've been slacking. I used to comb through my chapters a billion times before posting o.o**

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**- Like a Ninja -**


	8. Anger and Panic

**Btws, I changed a little detail in the first chapter. Ira now looks like a nineteen year-old, not a sixteen year old. You'll see why later on. I just chose sixteen at first on a whim. I felt like everything happened at sixteen, lol.**

**By the way, I can't use the word now if I'm writing in past tense, right? I know there are a lot of different situations where it can be used but Ergh. Whatever.**

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_=:- Love and Resp__ect -:=_

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**Anger and Panic**

It's amazing how words can manipulate feelings— my oh-so-human-like ones not being an exception.

For example, if I heard the word sage, I'd feel indifference.

If I heard the word rowan, I'd smile my way into a human bar and start a large fight.

Then, there's a specific, three-letter word that manages to twist and mold my emotions in such extreme ways. If I heard it, I'd think of multiple things like the leftovers of a campfire, a type of tree, cigarette remains, and the cause for a growingly-dark sky after a recently erupted volcano. Then, other things come to mind that aren't exactly equivalents of the actual word but of an existence.

Horrible tricks, merciless taunts, and steely, dispassionate grey eyes that could easily deceive me by filling with warmth, hiding the cruelty and mockery behind them.

If I heard the word _ash_, I'd hold no responsibility for my actions because all sense of rationality and reasonability and control would fly out the window. Along with a couple of bodies.

* * *

It was him. I knew it. There may be millions of others in this world who go by the same title, who've made acquaintance with my queen, but I just _knew_ that she was talking about _him_.

Usually, when I hear some fey talk about him, I don't do much other than throw a few temperamental fits that are slightly more destructive than the one's I have when I hear Rowan's name. Usually, I don't think about going and tearing his head from his neck because I'm too busy with monsters or the human police chasing me down after a fit. Usually, I'd never feel the urge to track him down to make him repent for his misdoings in the name of another instead my own.

_But, my queen had fallen in love with the heartless bastard._

_But, my queen got hurt._

So, my response was not the usual one.

It came in a powerful surge. My grasp on control loosened significantly, and I saw the forest around me, a deep evergreen, be subdued by a fog of murky red. The blood roared in my ears, deafening but not enough so to distract me.

_Because that bastard hurt my queen._

"Where are you going?" The question was as sudden as the grasp on my arm, but they did little to faze me. Once I had a goal, especially of vengeance, I couldn't be snapped out of my murderous state.

"I'll be back," I muttered noncommittally, shrugging off his hand. "Let go."

"But you're still hurt," he stated, gesturing at my shoulder which wasn't radiating pain like it was a few moments before.

"I'm fine," I snapped bitingly. The anger was welling up in my body, causing my hands to tremble and for my breathing to turn uneven.

The things I've done before were just little tantrums that I had convinced myself were genuine expressions of my anger.

I was deluding myself because this— this is true fury.

I may not have had a queen for the longest time, but I will always know loyalty. I will always know dedication. I will always know respect. Meghan is not only my queen, but someone who is more than worthy of all of those from me, and _no one _will get away with hurting her.

_Ash, I'm coming for you, you mother—_

"Ash? You're going after Ash?"

My body stilled, blood running cold as a small chill traveled down my back.

"How did you know that?" I asked sharply, my gaze snapping onto him.

"You told me," he answered hesitantly, locking his eyes on mine and running a hand through his red hair.

"No, I _didn't_. I would never tell you," I sneered, "and it's not like I mumble unconsciously."

_The fey can't lie._

Suddenly, I felt wary. The anger was still there— that was undeniable— but I also felt threatened. I never feel threatened since I don't care what happens to my physical form. I'm partly human, so that means I have a soul that will continue to exist. Though, my mind is something that I can't have being invaded or tampered with. _Ever_.

But the confusion in his eyes told me that was exactly what had happened.

"Okay, okay," he said, raising his hands. "This is now completely weird. The shocks are strange enough, but now we have to add mind reading to this freak fest? We should really try and—"

"_We _are not doing _anything_," I hissed, absolutely enraged. Him injuring me was one thing, but to enter my mind somehow— that's completely unacceptable.

"_You _will keep your distance from _me_," I stabbed my finger into his chest, and then pointed at myself, "while _I _will stay away from _you_. I am so sick of this. It was excruciating before, but now its completely unbearable. The only time there will be a _we_ is when _we _avoid each other like the freaking _plague_. _Got it?"_

Whirling around, I stalked off towards where I felt Meghan's strong glamour. Feeling too angry, frazzled, and panicked, I dismissed the uncharacteristically stony expression he had worn on his face.

"Fine by me."

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**Them feels. Well, I hope you guys feel them feels xD I dunno how well I do on the emotional impact part :/ Some writers out there can make me cry, I swear, and I have no idea how-they-freaking-_do it._**

**But thank goodness that I got my story back on track. The thing about Ash was not planned btw.**

**This is short, but I PROMISE THAT I WILL BE UPDATING A LOT SOONER FROM NOW ON! REALLY! I WILL! -coughs and smiles sheepishly-**

**Btw, if you're wondering why Puck and Ira forget about the Ash thing is because they get so freaked out about the mind-reading thing (-cough Ira cough-)**

**Mackie Effing Mad: Whoa, it was fast? Really? Cool. Well, I don't think you'll be saying that about this one, heh heh. Lol, badass is what I aim for :D Psh, whatchu tawkin bout. You have really cool action scenes too *o* Aha, I just like memes on FB. That's good enough for me :) And thanks yew :3**

**Queenie: Psh, naw. You're just busy. You know, court to rule and people to turn into frozen statues, the deal. LOL. Iraish. That sounds... At first I was going to say it sounded like a curse but since I said it outloud, it sounds like Irish. XD Seriously? Yessss. I like this Meghan :3 Lol, it's not possible for any reviews to be mad, honestly. ^-^ **

**fantasyfreak133: Aww, thanks :) It is a lot different, but in this story, it's totally... unstable is the only way I can describe it. From my first chapter to this one, my writing is different. I guess I was just experimenting, lol. Thanks for reading :D**

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**Like a Ninja**


	9. Gambling and Flings

**Once again, my writing style is different. Sorry, I was reading the Lost Prince by Julie (yes, that Julie— the one who owns Puck... grrr) and all the details affected my writing xD**

**Oh, err, did I say that we were nearing the turning point? Well, forget about that. I was delusional and I completely forgot about the stuff I need in between. It should take a couple more chapters. Ehem. Carry on. But we are getting somewhere. I think. I dunno. Whatever. Bai.**

**Oh, and sorry this took so long to finally be posted. I was planning on editing the past chapters, but then I was like, eh. I'm too lazy. And it can show me how much I improve. Or worsen.**

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**Gambling and ****Flings**

Things were quieter.

Without the constant and somewhat vicious banter between Goodfellow and I, there wasn't much talking other than between Meghan and Glitch when they planned our route. As well as the occasional remark by Goodfellow because, of course, total silence from the red-headed faerie was an impossible wish. Unless he decided to choke on the red skin of one of the apples he always seems to be munching on.

Once Meghan saw that my wound had quickly healed into a purplish, pebble-sized dent in my pale shoulder, she declared me fit enough for travel, and we were finally continuing on our way. We ended up retracing our steps back. Just a glance at the tree Goodfellow made me walk into earlier had my fingers twitching, aching to smack the gloating smirk off of his face as we passed the clearing to the real trod. Which was only a few feet away from the fake.

After we stepped through the door, this time without a hitch— or in my case, _hit—_ we entered the human world and ended up in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Flowers were in full bloom, screaming street vendors lined the taxi-filled streets, and the slots chimed from the open doors of casinos. People wore as scarce clothing as socially acceptable, and flip-flops were able to see light again after hibernating in the back of closets, forced into temporary retirement as warmer, winter and fall shoes replaced them.

It was summer. It was daytime.

It was absolutely _disgusting__._

As soon as I stepped into the dingy alley where the trod dropped us off— actually, as soon I put a _toe_ into the human world— my _black _leather jacket had become suffocatingly unbearable, my _dark _wash jeans clung to my legs like a second skin, my throat immediately went dry, and my sunglasses had begun to slide down the bridge of my nose. The sounds of people, drunk and sober, had seemingly attacked my ears— ears that had become sensitive from straining themselves while in the Wyldwood— and the ghastly fume of human body odor, intensified by the heat, filled my equally acute nose. Oh, what a _wonderful_ season summer is.

Mournfully, I watched the trod door quickly shrivel up into nonexistence on the brick wall of some building.

Thankfully, my grievances were quickly relieved once Meghan had said, in a somewhat glum tone, that we were actually heading north to Canada for a steel mill in Quebec. I couldn't help but feel my lips twitch upwards into a smug smirk as Goodfellow complained loudly.

But then, my internal griping returned once my queen, the too-kind leader she was, had granted us the _pleasure _of staying in this city for a night since we were still ahead of schedule._  
_

So, they wanted to go gambling.

And truthfully, so had I.

Of course, it didn't turn out well.

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"You stupid machine! You ate all my quarters!" Glitch shouted at the slot machine, falling victim to the dangerous allure of gambling.

Unsurprisingly, his little fit gained no attention. We all had decided not to use much glamour other than to disguise our more distinctive features to make sure we didn't stand out, though, that didn't exactly account for our actions. But in Las Vegas, Sin City, the home of gambling, anger was an emotion that was high in abundance— so much so that in comparing Glitch's tantrum to a human male's who had lost thousands of dollars in one night made Glitch seem like a sulky toddler.

Except for the wicked glint in his glowing violet eyes.

Narrowing those bright eyes, he sat back down on the stool in front of the machine and glared at the slots. Suddenly, the lights started flashing as the pictures began rolling without him having inserted any money. Three golden sevens jolted to a stop next to each other. Simultaneously, the sirens on top of the machines blared a congratulatory belt while quarters gushed out into the metal cradle of the machine.

Now, _this _had caught the attention of a couple of people. As well as the interest of an attentive security guard.

Growing bored of the iron faery's strangely devious move, I rolled my eyes and left him to his own fate.

As I walked past the humans who were in various situations— some cheering, others sobbing— I noticed one of the tables being surrounded by an unusually large crowd. Slinking closer to the gathering, I saw, sitting at the standard-green poker table, was Meghan. My queen.

She was gambling.

_Was she even twenty-one?_

Though, I had my doubts, she certainly looked like it. We may have toned down our features and powers, but Meghan was still a queen; her power surrounded her whether she wanted it to or not— whether the humans noticed it or not.

She was slight and of average height, but with her perfect posture consisting of a straight back and a slightly lifted chin, she demanded submission from those around her. Her facial expression was impenetrable and slightly unnerving as she sat proudly at the table, cards in her hands, but if you kept observing her, the stillness would seem as a little too inhumane compared to the players around her.

While every movement of hers was sure and precise, the other players twitched at random. Their eyes flicked towards Meghan with a hint of uncertainty at the strange player, but they managed to keep the rest of their features from showing anything else. The crowd around them watched on with rapt attention.

A large man sitting across from Meghan suddenly sneered at her, "Who let this _child _in here? This isn't no playground, girl."

Feeling the urge to protect Meghan, my back muscles tensed as I bristled. Finding myself with arms-reach of the table, I took a step forward, breaking the invisible barrier between the crowd and the game when Meghan coolly regarded the man with a tilt of her head.

"Must I be middle-aged like yourself to be able to play cards?"

Most of themselves being of a younger age, the crowd of people snickered in amusement.

Then, the air turned slightly electrified, enough so that a couple of people pulled uncomfortably at the collars of their shirts.

Meghan wasn't amused by the implied insult.

Slowly, I stepped back and watched the event with cautious eyes. Sometimes, despite how obvious and noticeable it was, I forget that Meghan was a queen with an infinite supply of power.

The man flushed purple with anger, unaware of Meghan's small burst of power, before pushing forward a large pile of coins. "Five-thousand," he snarled viciously. "Can you keep up, little girl?"

While the other players grimaced at the bold play and folded their cards, she pushed forward a pile of chips. "Better; I can leave you in the dust."

A small smile was on my face as the crowd oohed at her response.

I had noticed that right before she contributed her chips to the center, her eyes were trained on him. Not his eyes or his face but just _him_. Testing out my theory, I opened up my mind to look at his aura. A clearly visible streak of a muddy, forest green and dark grey overlapped some muddled red, a strip of silver, and some dark yellow.

I was right.

My queen was cheating— in a way.

She was reading his aura, and she assumed that he was just bluffing in front of all the people and the other players. He seemed insecure about his shaky position as the leading player in the game, and he was just scared in general. In human eyes, he was convincingly confident, but if you looked a little deeper, you could see the real panic. He was scared about losing his five grand in one turn which possibly meant that his hand wasn't as strong as he made it seem.

But where did _Meghan_ get her money from? Did she have a strong hand? Or at least stronger than his? There were no guarantees that she did.

I shrugged off my worries. She was a queen. She was fey. She could practically do whatever she wanted. She could take care of herself and didn't need me protecting her from every little problem that she crosses.

Watching her play the game— play the man— I saw a new side to Meghan.

Before, I respected how she treated me well and was kind and genuine. Then, I saw that she's also cunning and resilient; she didn't back down even when the man was trying as hard as he could to make her do so. She may look pretty and delicate, but she's made of steel on the inside.

She also didn't react rashly to the man's jibe. She didn't strike him down into a crisp on the spot but had decided to take a more reasonable approach by keeping a cool head despite the anger she felt which was displayed through her unintentional release of power. She was born for the throne, born to be a queen, and my respect for her only seems to grow.

Never mind the fact that she was technically cheating. After all, humans can do what we can, too. Well, some of them, anyway.

When the time came for them to reveal their cards, the man's neck turned red, and a drop of perspiration slid down from his temple. Slowly, he splayed his cards down on the table. A simple flush.

The other players at the table who folded had groaned and glared at the hand. Meghan kept her face emotionless as she laid out her own cards. A _royal _flush.

_Fitting_, I had thought. _Since she's a queen and all._

The crowd cheered from around me before quickly dispersing. Humans had such small attention spans. Then again, Meghan was still fey so that might have helped them forget a bit. _And_ I guess the plain t-shirt and jeans she wore didn't exactly cry out for attention.

As Meghan took in her win, the electricity from earlier lessened into an excited buzz. Nevertheless, the hair on the back of my neck stood from the power.

The game continued and I drifted away, satisfied with my queen's safety despite her first lieutenant's current preoccupation of being led away by a sharp security guard.

I was getting more dehydrated than usual. Even with the air conditioner of the casino on high, I was still uncomfortably warm with all bodies swarming around me like mobile heaters. Weaving through the crowd, I exited the gambling room and entered the dance room with the bar on the side.

As I neared the bar, I saw a flash of red. It was Goodfellow, flirting with some blonde. They both had drinks in their hands.

I didn't fail to notice the large, sparkling ring on the girl's finger.

Shaking my head at the foolhardiness of the males in our traveling group, I sat on a stool with a strange curl of discomfort in my stomach and a lightness in my head that couldn't be very good.

"Rum and coke," I ordered immediately, shrugging off my jacket and watching the dance floor filled with humans wriggling in ways they assumed were 'sexy' and 'alluring'.

"Are you over twenty-one, miss?" came the deep, bartender's voice from behind me.

Carelessly, I tossed him a coaster that was laying on the counter, quickly remembering a little trick I saw a faerie perform before.

The bartender's brown eyes squinted for a moment at the cardboard coaster.

"For some reason, I can't get myself to believe that you're a Faith Michaels who lives in Norfolk, Nebraska," he drawled, resting his muscled forearms on the counter in front of me.

I learned forward also in a challenging manner, tilting my head. "And why not?"

He showed me the coaster. "Because you don't have light brown hair with blue eyes, and you aren't five feet tall." Ah, shit. Sometimes, mimicry is really damn annoying.

Thinking fast, I flicked off my sunglasses. "I have blue eyes," I murmured, glancing at him through my eyelashes. Then, I took a piece of my long hair and began twirling it around my finger. "I dyed my hair black." For the final touch, I gave him a seductive smile and a slow wink, murmuring in a low voice, "And I'm a late bloomer."

The bartender smirked before sliding the coaster to me. "All right, then. I'll get to your drink now— on the house." He gave me a playful wink in return before whipping around to mess with a bunch of alcoholic bottles behind him, leaving me to let out a small sigh of gratitude that he didn't push the flirting as I slunk back onto the stool.

Feeling a pair of eyes burn into my back, I whirled around to face the dance floor.

I noticed a human male watching me with lecherous eyes as he danced, but I paid him no attention. He was just another irrelevant pest that wouldn't bother me as much as the gaze I felt had.

As I scanned the room, I noticed the blonde leading Goodfellow along the edge of the room towards a back exit, his large had grasped firmly in her smaller one. She wore a charming smile, and he had on a knowing smirk.

As they disappeared through the door, a large man with a golden band wrapped around his thick finger started for the same exit, a dark snarl etched onto his face. His hand lifted into the air, and his fingers twitched forward. In response, two darkly dressed men began moving through the crowd in the same direction.

_Well, this isn't going to be pretty_, I thought as I followed the man. An unwelcome flush filled my chest while an ominous fluttering took place in my stomach.

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**My oh my, Puck. Aren't you the little devil ;) Ahahaha, jk. If you so much as look at another woman...**

**doodle queen13: Yes! Them feels must be felt! :D Okay, well. It's not that fast of an update but it's a lot faster compared to my two month updates. Right? Right? Thanks for reading :3**

**Rafanan: You have no idea how much that one line made me laugh. Thank you! **

**xX Blood-Bond Xx: Thank you! I aim for cool! Or at least decent...**

**Mackie Effing Mad: Lol, thanks. Raaaage fest it was :3 Yush, memes are pretty amazing. **

**Queenie: I know you aren't there in type, but I know you are there in heart. Or whatever you have that keeps you alive. A block of ice? :D**

**Thanks y'all for sticking around. :) (Though, I have no idea why you guys do. I'm a horrible person :P)**

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**Like a Ninja**


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